Japanese crossword #21020

People who work as clowns think media sightings, Stephen King and John Wayne Gacey are responsible for turning them from objects of whimsy to monstrous, but they're ignoring common sense, history and human psychology when they do so. A painted on smile, on a person you can't otherwise recognize, is an inherently unsettling image, even potentially dangerous. The whole concept of clown makeup is an invitation to uncanny valley territory. Clowns tend to ignore boundaries and invade people's personal space, they rely on jump-tactics with spraying flowers on their lapels and explosions of confetti. There's a reason they children almost universally fear clowns.

Storytellers using clowns as monsters and murderers, they're not distorting a source of comedy and joy. They're acknowledging that - like roller coasters - things that excite, amuse and energize some people, can scare the shit out of others. Because there is inherent danger when anyone hides behind a mask, even one made of grease paint.